Taking a supplement is
usually pretty easy. Look at the label and follow the instructions. Simple.

Alas, protein is not
that simple. There are many things to potentially consider when taking protein,
including:

Taking your protein before
and/or after a workout session.

Taking a fast protein,
or a slow protein, depending on the time of day.

Taking specific amino acids.

So for those who want to
optimize their diet- what’s the best way to take your protein?

Timing Around Workouts?

The typical
recommendation is to take protein right after your workout. Some people are so
obsessive that they literally run to get their “post-workout shake” once their
workout ends.

Too bad it’s a waste of
time:

This post workout ‘window’
definitely does apply for the purpose of glycogen replenishment (carbs),
but does not apply to muscle protein synthesis.

The majority of the research on
post workout shakes was conducted in fasted training, not fed training
(and as will soon be explained, even if you do train ‘fasted’ there is a
better option than a post workout shake).

There have actually been
direct investigations into whether supplementation of protein surrounding a
workout in fed states is better at promoting muscle growth than taking
the same protein at times away from the workout. Subjects were divided into one
of two groups:

Two servings of quickly
absorbed protein, immediately before and immediately after a workout.

The exact same servings of
protein taken upon waking and before sleep.

The result? No
significant differences found [1][2]. The primary factor was having protein intake high (as we’ve
recommended in the previous parts). Timing was found to be irrelevant.

As long as you get
enough protein and are training after having eaten in the day, protein timing
is not important.

The one exception to
protein timing is if you go to the gym in a fasted state [3] (popularized by Martin Berkhan). Even then, post-workout did not mean “consume
immediately,” as taking protein 1 to 3 hours after the workout is not
significantly different [4][5].

There may be a reduction
in soreness (DOMS) if you take protein [6] or BCAAs [7]before a workout (but not after).

If you train
fasted, then taking protein soon after you workout can have benefits.
There are more benefits if you take protein before than after your workout
(which ironically means you are not training fasted).

The speed of absorption?

Marketing for protein
loves to obsess over fast and slow protein, so much so that people commonly
associate whey as “fast” and casein as “slow.”

Technically, there are
differences in absorption rates, and the general fast-to-slowest order is:

However, these are short-term
studies. If we actually look at muscle mass (which is what we really care
about), there is some evidence that slower proteins build more muscle.

Thus, slower proteins may be
better as they get absorbed more efficiently.

Although faster
proteins increase muscle protein synthesis more than slower proteins, slower
proteins may actually yield more muscle mass. Still, worrying about protein
absorption is not important for the average person.

What About Amino Acids
Supplements like BCAAs, Glutamine, Leucine, and More?

There are a lot of
sports supplements that are just extractions of amino acids found in protein,
and some of the major ones are:

L-Glutamine

All three BCAAs (Leucine,
Isoleucine, Valine)

HMB and Leucic acid (both
metabolites of leucine)

These amino acids are
great and all, but you don’t need to supplement them if you ingest enough
protein. This is because the protein you are taking will give you more than
enough glutamine and BCAAs, and leucine will convert into its metabolites in
your body.

Still, there are some
other amino acids to consider:

Some amino acids, like
l-carnitine and taurine, are not highly present in protein and so
supplementation could still be considered despite high dietary protein
intake.

HMB for the specific purpose
of anti-catabolism is apparently 20-fold more potent than leucine, so a 3g
dosage of HMB is as anti-catabolic as 60g leucine. HMB can be a very
useful supplement when cutting.

The supplements mentioned
earlier can be useful as supplements if your diet has gone down the
toilet.

Amino acid
supplements (in reference to glutamine and BCAAs mostly) are not required if
protein intake is high, but could be useful in specific situations. There are a
few amino acids that may be worthwhile supplementing.

Summing up Part 4

If you are working out and are
not fasting, your total protein consumption matters, not your timing.

If you are working out and are
fasted, then timing can matter. However, pre-workout protein is more
beneficial than post-workout.

Worrying about the speed of
absorption is a waste of time.

Glutamine is useless if you eat
enough protein.

BCAAs are useless if you eat
enough protein, except perhaps when fasted training.

Kurtis Frank and Sol Orwell founded Examine.com in early 2011 to help make sense of scientific research on supplementation and nutrition. Independent and unbiased, they recently have released the Supplement-Goals Reference in order to make it easy to figure out which supplements work (and which are hype).